Coming together for clean water

“We live on a watery world full of mystery and life! Our vast oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface, reaching depths of several miles. Water, our most precious commodity…necessary to all…is our common bond.”

If you have been to our Aquarium recently, these words probably sound familiar to you. It’s the opening statement of our dolphin show, Our Ocean Planet. The introduction goes on to describe the underwater world in which dolphins live, a vast world that we humans barely know. The music begins to build, and just before the trainers come out to introduce the dolphins, guests are left with this thought: “The water they swim in, the ground we walk on, we call it Earth, but this is truly Our Ocean Planet.”

The opening statement of our show is very thought-provoking. If water is the one thing that connects every living being, and a necessity for our own human life, then why do we know so little about it, and continue to pollute the very thing that keeps us alive and healthy?

Today, we’re joining thousands of bloggers from around the world for Blog Action Day to talk about the issues surrounding water.

When we started this blog a few years ago, we chose to name it Waterlog because as an Aquarium, we have a lot to talk about when it comes to water!

But today, as we come together to talk about the issues surrounding clean water, we’d like to keep it simple. We have more than 16,000 animals that call the National Aquarium home, and if you think about it, these animals may be considered the lucky ones. They are given clean water to live in every day. Clean water and healthy habitats. And their only job is to help inspire us humans to enjoy, respect and protect the aquatic world so they don’t become a living reminder of what once was.

Not all animals and humans around the world are able to enjoy clean water. Our dolphin show is just one example of how we are helping people understand the importance of clean water. Through all of our exhibits, education programs and conservation efforts, we are helping people connect to water and understand its importance in this world.

We hope that if you have visited an Aquarium recently, you left understanding that everyone has to do their part to keep our water clean. As we begin the celebration of our 30th anniversary, we are excited about our future in conservation education and action. Take a look at how water has played a role in our past 30 years, and how our watery world is growing: